Seed beetles

Seed beetles
	Common pea beetle ( Bruchus pisorum )
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Beetle (Coleoptera)
Subordination :	Polyphaga
Superfamily :	Chrysomeloidea
Family :	Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae)
Subfamily :	Seed beetles
Scientific name
	Bruchinae
	Latreille , 1802

The seed beetles (Bruchinae) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).

description

The beetles are usually very small (less than 5 millimeters), brownish or gray and stocky. The wing covers do not cover the entire abdomen and the head is elongated a little like a trunk.

The larvae develop in the fruits - more precisely: the seeds - of legumes (Leguminosae) (e.g. in peas , beans or Gleditschia ). The females lay their eggs on the ripening fruits, the larva with its strong mandibles and legs eats through the shell and develops inside the seed. After the first moult, it changes completely; among other things, she no longer has legs. The finished beetle then hatches from the mature seed.

The species native to us cannot attack ripe, dry seeds; only different introduced species can do this. These can then become a cache problem.

Systematics

The seed beetles were originally considered to be an independent family (Bruchidae). They are now part of the leaf beetles as a subfamily . They are represented in Central Europe with seven genera and 30 species. So far, 145 species are known in Europe, which are divided into seven tribes .